Healing Each Other
by Hain degistirildi
Summary: "The last thing we need is our parents figuring out we're here." If Carlos didn't know the meaning of foreshadowing now was the time to learn. Rated T for Past and current child abuse, and general violence. Takes place during Descendants 2 after Mal returns to the Isle. Light Ben/Mal and no real pairings but you can read it as you like.


**A/N ok wow, I haven't written a fanfiction out since my first year of highschool and I'm now a senior in college. I didn't expect to get pulled into a fandom ever again. Especially descendants of all things?**

 **This takes place during Descendants 2 after Mal and Ben fight and Mal returns to the isle where Ben, Jay, Evie and Carlos follow her. This was brought on by this one "miss it and you blink," line where Carlos says something like, "We can't let our parents find us." Also Dude doesn't talk in this fic bc I am 22 years old and I will not write parts for a talking animal that says amazeballs. Check the bottom for more A/N's. Still can't believe I fell down this rabbit hole again.**

Ben's heavy footsteps could be heard thudding against the metal stairs, steady, slow and alone. The teens waiting below held their breath, hoping they were mistaken.

However, moments later the young King appeared unaccompanied by Mal.

He didn't speak at first. In all his years of King Training he never once was informed on how to properly explain to your best friends who happen to be the children of the worst villains ever known, that not only did he fail them, he brought them into unnecessary danger (which he was sure he only knew the half of) to help clean up his own mistake. He was definitely starting to sense some holes in his education.

Ben exhaled slowly as he tugged his leather jacket around him. The air here was different, it wasn't even necessarily colder than Auradon but there was a chill that seemed to sink straight into his bones. It's one that lingers long after you've taken a hot shower and curled into bed. It made your hair stand on end and while the kids from the isle had grown accustomed to it Ben's discomfort was only becoming more and more apparent.

"Sh-she's not coming. Mal, isn't coming home. I'm sorry, I-I thought… I don't...-"

"-Ben, listen," Evie cut him off, and placed a comforting hand on his arm, "it's not over, we'll talk to her. You're so important to Mal and you just have to understand, coming from the Isle, things are different. Sometimes it takes us a while to figure things out, you know? These good emotions are still new to us. She'll come around, I promise." She gives his hand a squeeze and glanced back at Jay and Carlos for reassurance only to find Jay standing alone where he kept watch. His face was blank but his eyes were calculating as they darted back and forth searching for potential attackers and points of escape.

"Jay!" Evie whispered but her voice still carried to the wall Jay was leaning against.

"What?"

"Where's Carlos?"

"He's right he-" Jay turned his head sharply and scanned the area before his eyes landed on Evie's. "He should've been back by now."

"I know."

Ben hadn't been concerned until he saw the other teen's reactions. Carlos had been there along with Dude when he went up to speak with Mal and he had assumed that the white haired boy had been waiting in the car. He was the jumpiest of the four and had the most reservations about returning to the Isle so it wouldn't have been a surprise.

"Where'd he go?" Ben tried to remain quiet during this stressful ordeal but if he was going to help he needed information.

"He's supposed to be walking Dude around the block but that was 15 minutes ago." Jay responded but he clearly wasn't paying any attention to Ben.

Dude had managed to sneak into the limousine before they left for the Isle and only made himself known shortly after their arrival. Carlos had attempted to keep Dude hidden in the car but his impatient barking and whines could be heard for some distance. As dogs aren't one of the Isle's natural inhabitants this started to draw attention to the otherwise deserted area. They had agreed they needed to get some of Dude's nervous energy out before they were all discovered so Carlos had offered to quickly walk him through some of the near by ally ways where they could mostly avoid being seen. Evie wanted to accompany Carlos and his dog while Jay waited for Ben and Mal but they decided it was more important for her to be ready to protect the King. Word travels fast on the Isle and it would only be a matter of time before villains started trying to take their shot at Ben. That had been 15 minutes ago, which was not, what had been agreed upon.

"He could just be running late or maybe he got lost?" Ben offered.

"Carlos knows the isle like the back of his hand, he grew up on these streets. And yeah, maybe he is late, or maybe he's dead. I'm not going to sit here pondering which one it is." Jay's voice was harsh and low. Ben knew there was no comforting Jay or Evie, neither would be calm until the smallest of their group had been found. His thoughts were interrupted by shouting in the distance and he watched horror spill across Evie's face.

"Carlos." She whispered his name in a breath more as a prayer than anything else. She wasn't religious but God she could be if anyone dared hurt Carlos De Vil.

With that Jay took off in a sprint with Evie and Ben close behind. They never slowed down as they rushed under steel beams and over fallen barrels while they raced towards the source of the commotion. As quickly as the noise had started it stopped. Jay slid to a halt and motioned for the others to be quiet but nothing could be heard. Even the air felt oddly still, as if it too cowered from the son of Jafar's intensity.

Evie pushed past both of the boys and continued to walk down the cobblestone alley scanning for anything that might help locate Carlos. Ben was about to suggest going back to their original meeting spot incase he showed up but Evie quickly froze and then darted down an alley a few blocks ahead.

Ben and Jay jogged after her eager to see what caused such a reaction. As they approached her, Evie's whole body tensed. One perfectly manicured hand covered her mouth while the other had a white-knuckle grip on a black and red miniature leather vest, one that matched perfectly with Carlos's jacket.

"That's not..." Jay was the first to speak but he couldn't force himself to finish his sentence. Evie simply nodded in response.

It was always dark on the Isle but suddenly the lack of light felt suffocating. Jay squinted at the ground trying to find anything else that might give away who the attacker was but all he could find were speckles of blood and a couple of foot prints. There was no way of knowing who the blood belonged to but one thing was clear, Carlos put up a fight.

"We need to tell Mal." Evie stated, still staring at Dude's vest. "We need to tell Mal, and we need to come up with a plan. We're not leaving the Isle until we find him." There was no need to respond, it was already understood they would stop at nothing to get their friend back.

As they approached Mal's home it was Evie who stepped towards the speakerphone outside her door.

"Mal? It's Evie. Please pick up. I know you're upset, and you're hurt but we need you. Something's happened, something bad." Evie paused, still no response, "Mal, come on, this isn't you, we really need your help! It's Carlos. He's missing an-"

Before Evie could finish her plea the door opened. She knew Mal would never turn her back on one of her own. Ben, Jay and Evie quickly made their way to the top floor. Ben momentarily hung back, almost afraid to see Mal again so soon after their last encounter but still he knew his friend's safety was at stake.

In a way he felt incredibly guilty for Carlos's disappearance. This never would've happened if he had just tried to be more understanding of Mal. If they didn't have that fight Mal wouldn't be here in the first place and he never would have gotten the VK's to accompany him to the Isle. He knew they were afraid to come back here, especially Carlos. None of them ever spoke about their past but from their nervous ticks and odd habits he was certain it was nothing good.

He could see it in Mal in the way she froze when Evie or Carlos coughed and how she murmured her mother's name in her sleep always with a furrowed brow. He could see it in Jay, the way he'd get a little too aggressive during Tourney and how food mysteriously kept missing from the kitchen. Usually it wasn't even enough to notice, enough for four people to be exact, but frequently the kitchen door would be left open the next morning even though the cooks all swore it had been locked the night before. He could see it in Evie when she refused dessert even when it was her absolute favorite (apple pie), and when she reapplied her makeup over and over after making a mistake on her homework. He especially saw it in Carlos, how his whole body would tense if anyone raised their voice in the same room as him and he could be seen quietly reciting the periodic table to himself. If Ben so much as dared to put his hand on Carlos's shoulder without making his presence known first he was almost certain to leave the friendly chat with a black eye.

So while none of the teens spoke freely about their past on the island it wasn't hard to guess it hadn't been great. Now, however, Ben was starting to realize he might just witness exactly how bad it was to grow up here. He wasn't certain how nervous to be for Carlos but judging by everyone's worried features as they huddled together over a table trying to come up with a plan he could feel it in his gut. They needed to find Carlos and they needed to find him fast.

"Does Carlos have any enemies here? I mean who would want to hurt Carlos?" Ben asked. The other three teens looked up in surprise, they had almost forgotten that Ben was in the room with them.

"Who wouldn't want to hurt Carlos is the questions you should be asking." Mal stated, but Ben still looked confused so Evie attempted to explain in the gentlest way possible.

"When we lived here we had the run of the Isle and we had more enemies than allies. You have to understand that things were different then, this was all we ever knew. We did as our parents told and caused as much trouble as we could. We were called the Rotten Four and there are still rival gangs who wouldn't be pleased to see us back here probably thinking we're trying to reclaim old territory. Not to mention we've all directly disobeyed our parents so if any of them found him he's as good as dead. And in the off chance he was found by someone who we managed to not torment daily they surely would turn him into his mother for a reward, if not for the sake of being evil."

Ben exhaled loudly, "Alright then, where do we start."

"Hell Hall." Mal responded gravely, "It's where Cruella lives and probably our best shot. Maybe you should stay here Ben, it's not a great place for a social call and I don't want anything happening to you. The last thing we need is having you get kidnapped too."

"No. I'm coming. It's my fault he's in this mess so I'm going to help get him out of it. Besides, I need to see how these people on the Isle live, they are my people too after all."

"It's settled then." Mal's lips twisted into a grimace but otherwise her face showed no emotion, "We're going to Hell Hall."

It wasn't long before they reached Carlos's old home, if you could even call it that. The word home signifies comfort and a sense of belonging, neither of which Carlos had ever felt within these walls.

"Good new and bad news," Mal whispered, "Cruella's car is gone so she's not inside but that also doesn't' mean she doesn't have Carlos or that she won't be back soon."

The old Victorian mansion towered over them. Had it managed to go into even more disrepair since they had moved to Auridon? Without Carlos there to be his mother's slave it seemed the house itself was being supported only by the ivy that covered it.

They crept through the over grown grass, careful not to step on any traps and made their way to the back door. Jay knelt next to the doorknob and was able to pick the lock with relative ease. With a menacing creak the door swung open but no one dared to step inside.

Ben started to move forward but Mal's hand caught his forearm.

"Wait." She took a deep breath, "It's just… Are you sure you want to do this? It's not going to be pleasant in there and that's if she hasn't gotten to Carlos yet."

Ben placed his other hand on top of Mal's and looked into her eyes.

"I know. But I need to see this."

With that, Mal dropped her hand and they stepped inside. The lights flickered on but they weren't much use.

"Ugh, the smell." Mumbled Jay as he pinched his nose. The scent of rotting meat and months worth of trash filled the room. This was just proof that Cruella, who was already insane before her time on the isle, seemed to be continuing her descent into madness.

"Come on guys, we should check the closet and get out of here." Evie said covering her nose with her hand. She was right, if Cruella had found Carlos there's only one place she would keep him, his old room.

Despite the darkness, Evie was able to navigate the old house well. After all, this wasn't the first time they've had to break in and make sure the smallest member of their group was still breathing, however, she truly hoped this would be the last.

As they entered Cruella's room Ben looked around with mild disgust. Everything was so dirty, even the bed seemed to be covered in a layer grime. Broken glass littered the floor along with various red marks on the wall the he couldn't seem to identify.

"So this was Carlos's room?" Ben asked.

Jay gave a soft chuckle. "No, this was Carlos's room." He opened the closet door, not sure if he was terrified or relieved that it was empty. On the floor was a blood stained blue quilt and various animal traps. The four teens stood in silence for a moment taking it all in. Evie couldn't tear her eyes away from the bloody handprint on the wall. The horrors Carlos must have endured in this room. She never got used to seeing it and was desperately hoping this would be the last time any of them would be in that house.

"We should take the quilt you gave him, Evie. He'd want it. Maybe we can get the stains out of it." Mal spoke, but barely above a whisper. She knelt down and folded it gently and placed it in her backpack. Mal made eye contact with Ben, his face was blank but you could see thousands of thoughts running through his head. Quietly she reached for his hand.

"We need to go, who knows when Cruella will be back." As if on que the sound of a roaring engine consumed the house. Mal raced to a window, rubbed some of the dirt away and peered out.

"Shit." All eyes were on Mal as they waited for her instructions.

"She has Carlos. But there are other people here too. Two of them are her cronies, what were their names? Horace and Jasper?" Evie mumbled a confirmation. If that was all they still had a fighting chance but Mal wasn't moving from her post. There had to be more.

"Oh no. Jafar and Evil Queen are here too. We have to hide. Now." Mal whipped around and sprinted down the stairs, her friends following closely behind. As she raced out the back door and up the ladder to Carlos's tree house she could hear Horace and Jasper arguing.

"Mal, what are we going to do? We're completely out numbered, we're not going to make it out of here." Evie whispered.

"No, we're going to make it out of here but we have to surprise them. I'm not sure how yet, but right now we can't make a sound until we know what they're planning. Then it's get Carlos and get the hell out."

From the tree house they couldn't specifically see what was going on inside but with all the disrepair there was little instillation so sound carried quite easily. All the teens held their breath as the rest of the Villains entered the household. They could hear Carlos struggling with the cronies.

"Let me go!"

"Listen kid, we wouldn't have to do this if you didn't keep trying to run away."

Cruella's laugh could be heard from the distance and suddenly Carlos's tone changed completely.

"Please. Please let us go. You don't have to do this. You can just let me and the dog go and no one has to know." Pleading with the men wasn't going to do anything but Carlos had to try that laugh sent chill down his spine. That laugh usually meant chores or pain. That laugh was supposed to exist only in his nightmares. This wasn't supposed to be his life anymore. He chose good, why was he still being punished?

With that the sound of skin connecting with skin carried up to the tree house and Ben and Evie had to physically restrain Jay from running back into Hell Hall that very moment.

"Wait, guys…" Mal glanced around her, "This was Carlos's tree house. The kid's a genius, he has to have something up here we can use. Quick, everyone look around and see if there's anything that could cause a distraction."

Inside, Jafar was kneeling in front of the battered boy.

"Now Carlos, this is so silly, why won't you just tell us where Evie and Jay and that little boy King are? We wouldn't have to keep hurting you if you just told us what we wanted to know."

"I told you, they're not here. I came back alone. I left Auradon because I missed being evil. I missed being rotten but none of them did so I stole the limo and drove back myself." Another thudding sound, and then coughing, a sure kick to the stomach. This time Cruella's voice was clear, "Listen to Jafar sweetie, you're only causing your own pain now. If you just told us where those little brats, have run off to, then you could have a nice little lay down in your closet and fluff some of your mother's furs. All this pain can stop, we're just trying to help you see those children aren't worth it."

"No. No. Stop it. They're not here, I already told you I came back alone just let me go." Carlos's arguments were getting shorter and weaker, typically followed by muffled sobs and sharp slaps from one of the adults.

"I knew you were never strong enough to be a villain. Look at you a few light taps and you're a ball on the floor. Pathetic. We'll try again when you're feeling more cooperative. In the meantime, how about I take this vicious beast and start a new pair of ear muffs?" There was a scream and then silence.

Evie audibly gasped. Were they too late? Had Cruella finally gone too far? She glanced around the tree house all they could find were half finished projects Carlos didn't get to take with him and piles and piles of papers of future plans and math problems. None of which were useful. Right as they were about to give up Ben uncovered a pile of metal chains and traps Carlos must have been saving for one of their many pranks.

"Perfect!" Gasped Mal and quietly as they could each teen grabbed an armful of the metal traps.

"Jay and Evie set these up at the back door. Anyone who tries to get out won't be able to run far. We should be able to handle them from there. Ben and I can take the front of the house." Mal whispered with the authority of someone twice her age.

"How are we going to get them to come outside?" Evie asked.

Mal responded with a smirk, "Leave that to me."

With that the two teams split up each setting up several traps at the foot of the doors. As Ben prepared the finishing touches Mal grabbed discarded bat from the lawn and weighed it in her hand, this would do nicely. Then with a fire in her that she hadn't felt before she climbed on top of Cruella's car. She took a deep breath, lifted the bat over her head with both hands and swung down onto the windshield has hard as she could. _That was for all the times she could count Carlos' ribs while she checked his torso for new bruises and cigarette burns._ She swung again. _That was for all the times Carlos whimpered in his sleep, dreaming of suffocating furs and his mother's laugh._ She swung again. _That was for stealing the innocence of a boy who never deserved to be on this island to begin with._ As Mal raised the bat above her head a fourth time the Villains had finally come rushing out the door to find the cause of the racket only to find their feet stuck in the metal traps on the ground. Similar screams can be heard from the back of the house where Horace and Jasper had been told to look for any of the traitorous children trying to free Cruella's child.

At the front of the house Cruella attempted to claw her way forward only find her hand caught in yet another trap she had set the night before.

"Please, no leave my baby alone! She doesn't deserve it!" She cried.

"Oh… You mean, don't do this?" Mal played dumb for a moment as she swung the bat against the windshield again, shattering it completely. Jafar and the Evil Queen withered in pain torn between begging for help and attempting to pry the trap off their feet but it was nothing compared to gut wrenching scream that escaped Cruella's mouth.

Moments later Dude rushed out the door but Ben was quick to scoop him up and cradle him against his chest, wary of any other traps that may still be in the yard. Following the dog was Evie, her face pale against her blue locks. She paused only for a moment to stare at her mother. There were so many things she wanted to say. So many arguments that she had played out in her head before falling asleep. She wanted to scream and cry, this was the woman that had made her life torture and all she could do was look at her. Finally, Evie bent down ever so slightly and whispered, "Don't frown mother, it causes wrinkles."

With that she straightened her spine, smoothed her skirt and stepped over her mother. Jay carried a barely conscious Carlos over his shoulder and ignored his father's pleas for help. Instead he focused on avoiding jostling Carlos too much as he made his way through the yard.

Mal jumped down from the car eager to see her friends but not before give the side mirror an "accidental" hit with her bat. She tossed the bat aside and the 5 teens carefully made their way back to the limo.

If she was being completely honest, Mal was afraid to look at Carlos. Auradon had softened her and the fact that Carlos wasn't complaining was completely terrifying. On the isle you are trained since birth not to show weakness. Any weakness is like holding a sign saying "Please attack me, I'm begging you. Steal all my valuables!" So normally when Carlos had been found at his mother's after a severe beating and wasn't able to walk particularly well he'd still complain if anyone so much as offered a supporting hand. But this was different. When Jay apologized for stumbling slightly on the cobblestone road Carlos only replied with a slurred, "S'okay." This was different and different scared Mal.

Ben hung back for a moment and quietly grabbed Mal's hand. She jumped at first but slowed down to his pace.

"Why didn't you guys say anything?" He asked in nearly a monotone. The shock from Hell Hall clearly hadn't worn off yet.

"Huh?" Mal answered still distracted by her conversation with the other VK's.

"Why didn't you say anything when you came to Auridon about your living conditions? Does everyone live like that? If I had known I coul-"

"-Could have what Ben? That's just the way things are here. No one lives well. Granted, Carlos had the worst out of all of us. That's not to say Jay and I never had our fair share of beatings." Mal replied quietly, "And Evie, she had her own forms of torture that her mother inflicted on her. It's not something we're happy to think about but either way it happened and it's made us who we are. I know Carlos doesn't want your pity, none of us do but what did you expect? Your father put a bunch of villains and their children on an island so he wouldn't have to worry about them. And that's exactly what he did, he didn't worry, he forgot about us. I warned you, this place isn't just a bunch of mischievous kids playing silly pranks, this is the real deal. And don't get me wrong, Carlos is strong. He's quick on his feet, he's smart and can easily hold his own in a fight but he shouldn't have to, not anymore."

Ben was speechless, he had no idea how bad things really were and he didn't even know how to begin to fix them.

Finally they began to approach the limo. Jay carefully laid Carlos across Mal and Evie's laps in the back seat while he climbed into the driver's seat. Ben sat across from the girls and closed the door behind him, still clutching Dude to his chest.

"Sorry." Mal spoke again, but this time much softer, "I didn't mean to be so harsh. I'm just worried. He doesn't deserve this."

"He doesn't. None of you did. But we're going to fix this and Carlos is going to be okay. Like you said he's a fighter and we have top of the line medical facilities in Auradon, we'll take him straight to the nurse and he'll be good as new." Ben replied carefully, there was nothing else that could be said.

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride and didn't even flinch when they crossed the barrier. Evie stroked Carlos's hair, which was now slightly pink from blood. Mal attempted to catalog his injuries, just like she used to, plenty of bruises, nothing broken except for a rib or two, a few gashes on his arms, bleeding wrists, probably from having his hands tied together too tight with rope. There were a few cuts and bruises on his face, with a black eye beginning to appear and a concussion was definitely not out of the question. The most sickening of the injuries to look at though were the small circular burns covering his arms and torso. Some were old and some had been acquired in past few hours. Mal tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she covered Carlos with the old quilt from his closet. She promised him this wouldn't happen again, she promised she would look out for him and yet here they were.

She thought back to the conversation they had only a few day prior where she asked Carlos if he ever missed the Isle. God she had lost herself in so many ways. It wasn't just the new hair and the pink dresses, she had completely forgotten about all the terrible things Carlos had faced, all the terrible things they all had faced and she was ready to jump right back in. Mal shut her eyes as they burned. She aggressively wiped away tears. Crying doesn't help anything, she was going to do better and be better, for Carlos and Jay and Evie because they deserve better.

The car was still rolling to a stop when Ben opened his door and jumped out. He had already called for the nurse from the car and was preparing to move Carlos directly to her care.

It was hours before they were allowed to see him but the teens refused to leave the waiting room until they did.

"Physically, he's going to make a full recovery, he needs to be careful and not strain himself. He'll need plenty of rest and keep an eye on his concussion. He may get headaches and nausea for a while but if it continues longer than a week bring him back here immediately. Emotionally though, he may not… is there-"

"We know." Mal replied, "We'll be there for him." With that all four of the teens pushed past the nurse and into Carlos's room. He was awake but barely. His torn clothing had been replaced with a white hospital gown which made his freckles stand out against his unusually pale skin.

"How you feeling buddy?" Jay asks, forcing a smile.

"I've been better." Carlos responded with a grimace.

"I'm so sorry Los, we never should have let you go off on your own. If we had just stayed with you none of this would have happened." Evie finally spoke, her voice breaking every so often as she fought and lost holding back tears.

"Evie it's okay, there was nothing you could have done. We all would have been captured if we stuck together. I- Just… Promise me. Please. Promise me we're never going back there. I can't do it again. Hearing my mother's laugh, being back in that house, it felt like I never left. I can't do it anymore."

"It's okay Carlos, you're okay. We're never going back, she'll never touch you again. You have us and it's gonna take some time but we will get through this. Now get some rest Los." Mal responded, she was nearly in a panic, she just wanted him to be better. What if all the confidence he had gained in Auradon had been lost? No. She couldn't think like that. All she could do was be there for him.

"Nightmares." Carlos moaned. He was clearly struggling to stay awake but Evie understood immediately.

"We're not going anywhere if you start to have a bad dream we'll be here. We're always going to be here for you Carlos."

Ben stayed late into the night until the early morning as he watched the four Isle teens curled up together on Carlos's bed, careful to still give him as much space as he needed. Evidently he had much more to learn about them then he thought, but for now he needed to let them do what they do best, help each other heal.

 **A/N2 So there she is! Lmk what you think in the reviews. I'm definitely a bit rusty but these characters make it worth it? Honestly I grew up in a emotionally abusive household and I found myself looking at these kids and seeing myself when I was 16. I was aggressive and mean all because of my home life and sometimes I still am. I'm still learning and trying to figure out how to be happy and have healthy relationships. Anyways that got more personal than intended but in a way these movies make me feel warm and give me hope!**


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